Hermosa Beach PD 2023: Something old, something new for Hermosa blue ‘force multipliers’
by Kevin Cody Twice last April, Hermosa Beach police deployed drones to find a lost child. A missing grandchild was found at the ocean’s edge. A special needs child was found on the Greenbelt. “If the community sees our drones flying overhead, it doesn’t necessarily mean a crime is in progress,” Chief Paul Lebaron said of the drone rescues in a report to the city council. But more commonly the thermal imaging-equipped “Drone for First Responders” serves as what the chief describes as “force multipliers.” Other “force multipliers” the chief mentioned at Mayor Raymond Jackson’s State of the City address in September include ALPRs (Automated License Plate Readers), and crime analysis software used in assigning where to deploy officers. Hermosa Beach Police Department social media team members Detective Kurt Mateko, CSO Supervisor Randy Fujisaki, Sergeant Joe Poelstra, and Captain Landon Phillips. Team members not pictured: Community Services Manager Carlos Burgos, Sergeant Eric Cahalan, Sergeant James Smith, Officer Joshua Nakamoto, Officer Luis Pineda, Officer Keaton Dadigan, PSO Diocelinda DeLeon, and PSO Natalia Rodriguez. Photo by Kevin Cody ‘Hands off the wheel’ The department…
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